The self-titled debut album from Nordic Union is set for release on January 29th. The music video for the album track “Hypocrisy” is streaming below.

Nordic Union is the name behind the new musical collaboration, built by Frontiers President Serafino Perugino, between singer Ronnie Atkins of the legendary Danish Hard Rock institution Pretty Maids and the up-and-coming Swedish songwriter and producer Erik Martensson of Eclipse and W.E.T. fame.

The partnership between the two fellow Scandinavians worked well and together they have created some musical magic, which will truly impress the fans of these highly regarded musicians. Atkins says: “The music on the album has a focus on good melodies and there’s some good guitar work as well. I had a good gut feeling ever since I heard the first songs from Erik Martensson, and I was right he’s a very gifted and talented songwriter!”

These songs are guaranteed not to leave your head for a long time. Just have a listen to the gorgeous anthemic opener “The War Has Begun” and some killer melodic gems like “When Death Is Calling,” “21 Guns” and “Hypocrisy” with great hooks and epic guitar riffs. “Wide Awake” can be described as a combination between pop and melodic rock with a modern production.

“While Pretty Maids is still my first priority” explains Ronnie, “the production process and the work on this record went very smoothly. I think what came out is a killer melodic hard rock album with a lot of good songs on it – I could really feel the songs as mine and identify with those. So I hope the fans will be able to share my view and it’s been some kind of a little fresh breath in between albums for me really.”

Tracklisting:

“The War Has Begun”
“Hypocrisy”
“Wide Awake”
“Every Heartbeat”
“When Death Is Calling”
“21 Guns”
“Falling”
“The Other Side”
“Point Of No Return”
“True Love Awaits You”
“Go”

“Hypocrisy” video:

“The War Has Begun”:

“When Death Is Calling”:

Audio samples:

Lineup:

Ronnie Atkins - lead and background vocals
Erik Martensson - lead guitar, bass, keyboards and background vocals
Magnus Ulfstedt – drums

Guest Guitar Solos:

Thomas Larsson, guitar solo on "Every Heartbest" and "Wide Awake"
Fredrik Folkare, guitar solo on "Point Of No Return" and "Hypocrisy"
Magnus Henriksson, guitar solo on "The War Has Begun"



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"Livin' Out Loud", the new video from RESURRECTION KINGS — new so-called "supergroup" featuring singer Chas West (TRIBE OF GYPSIES, LYNCH MOB), guitarist Craig Goldy (DIO, GIUFFRIA, ROUGH CUTT, DIO DISCIPLES), bassist Sean McNabb (DOKKEN, GREAT WHITE) and drummer Vinny Appice (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL) — can be seen below. The track is taken from RESURRECTION KINGS' self-titled debut album, which will be released on January 29 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Everything began with a set of demos Goldy recorded with singer West, a guy with an unbelievable set of pipes.

West said: "It started about five years ago when Craig Goldy contacted me and said he'd like to do something, do a project. 'Let's get together and write.' Because we had played together, doing some covers in an all-star thing called the HOLLYWOOD ALLSTARZ."

Added Goldy: "I was contacted by Serafino [Perugino], the president of Frontiers. He wanted to do an album with famous guys from the '80s, and I was absolutely flabbergasted that they came to me for it, so I was more than happy to say yes."

Said Appice: "Craig told me he was doing this project and he needed somebody to play drums on it, and he'd love for me to come check it out. He played me a couple of songs, I loved it, so I said, 'Yeah, I'll do it.' So I laid all the drum tracks down, sent them back, and I thought it came out great." Frontiers in-house writer and producer Alessandro Del Vecchio (REVOLUTION SAINTS, HARDLINE, RATED X) offered his services to the band and wrote (or co-wrote with Goldy) a few tracks to round out the material that was available.

Regarding the songwriting process for RESURRECTION KINGS' debut CD, Goldy said: "Originally, I had the music [for the song 'Living Out Loud']… I had learned the hard way that you've gotta start off with a good groove, and then you come up with a cool riff and then you come up with some simple chord progressions and then a melody line. And then, once the melody line is established, and we're starting to work on lyrics, that's when you can go back and kind of mess with the chords and stuff to make them more interesting. But we kind of had the outline of the song already, and then I presented that to Chas and him and I just started doing the process that's supposed to be. The first thing he did is just start improvising, what came naturally. So it came from his heart and it came from his talent."

Goldy also spoke about some of the other tracks on RESURRECTION KINGS' debut album which were written by producer Alessandro Del Vecchio. He said: "[Alessandro] is an amazing songwriting [and] a great producer, a keyboard player. I think he plays guitar and stuff as well. He's a great singer too. I can't wait for people to hear how he sings. So some of the demo versions already had vocals, drums, bass and guitar on them. So we would learn the songs, and then we'd do them our way. It was something Alessandro and I called 'Goldy-izing.' 'Cause we would get these demos, and they'd be kind of in an odd kind of shape, and so I would Goldy-ize it and turn it into something that I thought would be more interesting. Once Vinny and Sean got ahold of these songs, they really came alive. 'Cause a lot of the times, songwriters will write demos to drum machines, which is fine, 'cause it's just basically a sketch, and then you turn that sketch into an oil painting. And so when Vinny and Sean got ahold of these songs, it really came alive. So that gave me automatic inspiration on top of a great song that Alessandro had already written." "Resurrection Kings" track listing

01. Distant Prayer02. Livin' Out Loud03. Wash Away04. Who Did You Run To05. Fallin' For You06. Never Say Goodbye07. Path Of Love08. Had Enough09. Don't Have To Fight No More10. Silent Wonder11. What You Take

Digital pre-orders for the album are available now and include an instant download of "Who Do You Run To", the video for which can be seen below.

The cover artwork for "Resurrection Kings" was designed by Stanis-W Decker and can be seen below.

Appice and Goldy played sporadic shows last year as part of BLACK KNIGHTS RISING, also featuring bassist Elliott Rubinson (Uli Jon Roth, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, Carmine Appice) and vocalists Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DIO DISCIPLES) and John West (BADLANDS, LYNCH MOB, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

After joining DIO in 1987, Goldy became Ronnie James Dio's right-hand man and went on to co-write such DIO classics as "Dream Evil", "One More For The Road" and "As Long As It's Not About Love".

Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN will release a new EP, "Lunar Prelude", on February 19 via Napalm Records. Mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Ted Jensen, the set offers two brand new songs in the shape of the catchy "Suckerpunch" and the melancholic "Turn The Lights Out". "Don't Let Go" (taken from 2014's "The Human Contradiction") comes in a brand new version, while the EP also contains four incredible live cuts, as well as an orchestral reprise of "Suckerpunch", all of which proving once again how DELAIN are blatantly known for their extremely catchy hooks, bewitching melodies, symphonic bombast, and, of course, a good solid dose of metal!

The track "Suckerpunch" can now be streamed below.

DELAIN states: "Our latest album, 'The Human Contradiction', has taken us on a great ride, performing hundreds of stages around the globe for all of you. We barely managed to catch our breaths from our most recent tours, yet we've already got some new music that we simply can't wait to share. In preparation of our next full-length studio album, we'd like to present to you 'Lunar Prelude', a collection of several brand new tracks, a new version of a familiar one, and live versions of some our favorite 'The Human Contradiction' tracks. We hope you enjoy this new release, Delainers. Thank you for inspiring us and sharing amazing moments with us. See you at the next gig!"

"Lunar Prelude" track listing:

01. Suckerpunch02. Turn The Lights Out03. Don't Let Go04. Lullaby (Live 2015)05. Stardust (Live 2015)06. Here Come The Vultures (Live 2015)07. Army Of Dolls (Live 2015)08. Suckerpunch Orchestra DELAIN recently announced the addition of guitarist Merel Bechtold to the group's ranks.

Bechtold said: "I'm excited to become a permanent DELAIN member and hugely looking forward to the upcoming tours and albums. See you on the road!"

TOURNIQUET drummer Ted Kirkpatrick has assembled an all-star lineup to pay tribute to BLACK SABBATH as the legendary heavy metal pioneers get ready to embark on their final tour, "The End". Due on January 20 via Pathogenic Records, "The Doom In Us All - A Tribute To Black Sabbath" features the following tracks"

01. War Pigs

* Chris Jericho (FOZZY) - vocals* Scotti Hill (SKID ROW) - lead guitar* Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) - bass* Ted Kirkpatrick (TOURNIQUET) - drums, guitars 02. Lord Of This World

* Trevor McNevan (THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH) – vocals* Bruce Franklin (TROUBLE) - lead guitar* Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) - bass* Ted Kirkpatrick (TOURNIQUET) - drums, guitars 03. Into The Void

* Corey Glover (LIVING COLOUR) – vocals* Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) - bass* Ted Kirkpatrick (TOURNIQUET) - drums, guitars 04. Electric Funeral

* Eric Wagner (THE SKULL, TROUBLE) – vocals* Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) - bass* Ted Kirkpatrick (TOURNIQUET) - drums, guitars 05. Children Of The Grave

* Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST) - vocals* Karl Sanders (NILE) - lead guitar* Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) - bass* Ted Kirkpatrick (TOURNIQUET) - drums, guitars

"War Pigs" can now be streamed in its entirety in the YouTube clip below.

Falun, Sweden’s blackened death metal one-man project Necrosavant recently signed a deal with Kolony Records. Necrosavant’s debut album Aniara MMXIV, a 45-minute epos based on the 1956’s epic sci-fi poem Aniara: A Review Of Man In Time And Space (original title: Aniara: en revy om människan i tid och rum) by Harry Martinson, will be released on February 26.

The band has unveiled the first excerpt from the via a lyric video created by Necrosavant himself.

Aniara MMXIV features, besides Necrosavant (Jonas Martinsson (Majalis, Me The Tiger)), special guests Tobias Netzell (In Mourning, Majalis, Thenighttimeproject, ex-October Tide), Alexander Högbom (October Tide, Centinex, Moondark, Volturyon, Spasmodic), Daniel Jansson (Ikhon, Majalis) and recitation by Gabriella Åström (Me The Tiger). The production is written, all instruments played, recorded, mixed and mastered by Necrosavant (Jonas Martinsson) and may appeal to fans of Behemoth, Decapitated and so forth.

Commented mastermind Jonas Martinsson: “My fascination for Harry Martinson’s amazing space poem Aniara: A Review Of Man In Time And Space from 1956 inspired me to the point that I interpreted and composed music to it, in my own and unique way. Already in the mid-1950s, Harry Martinson wrote about that human existence and our destiny is in our own hands. That we must break our destructive behaviors for our own and our planet's sake. That we must begin to realize the consequences of our actions. The poem may be just a poem, but if we do not do something about ours and others actions, this planet will go straight to hell. This composition is a lamentation from the perspective where one foot is in the Harry Martinson’s brilliance, and the other foot in my personal musical fusion on the basis of the genre blackened death metal. My version and interpretation is entitled Aniara MMXIV. 

“I started this project in 2014 and I finished now, a year later. It is no news to compose music to this poem. However, it has not been made in this unique way. I have written and recorded everything myself and I play all the instruments, and I have invited fantastic guests.
The unexpected mixture of poetry and dark metal music was shown to be so unique that Kolony Records hooked and wanted to release the album, physical and digital world-wide.
I see this as my way to preserve and convey a cultural treasure, but in a new way. I think everyone should read Aniara.”

Line-up:

Jonas Martinsson / Necrosavant – vocals and all instruments

Special guests:

Tobias Netzell - vocals
Alexander Högbom - vocals
Daniel Jansson - vocals 
Gabriella Åström - recitation



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Former MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent has contributed guest vocals to "Manufacturing Evil", the sophomore album from Des Moines thrash merchants GREEN DEATH. Vincent appears on the track "Gates Of Hell".

"Manufacturing Evil" will be released on April 1 through MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson's EMP imprint through the legendary label Megaforce.

GREEN DEATH was brought to EMP's attention via SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor after performing at the 2015 edition of SLIPKNOT's Knotfest. Initially released independently, the reissued version of the critically acclaimed "Manufacturing Evil" will feature some new mixes, mastering, and surprises, including guest vocals by Vincent.

With the core of the band playing together for well over a decade, GREEN DEATH — consisting of vocalist Sol Bales, drummer Ryan Berrier, guitarists Erich Tran and Mark Reinking and bassist Parker Willis — has become a staple in the Midwest metal scene, earning their stripes playing alongside artists like SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, SEVENDUST, TRIVIUM, SLIPKNOT, DYING FETUS and more, and releasing two critically acclaimed LPs.

ANTHRAX members Scott Ian and Charlie Benante joined LAMB OF GOD on stage last night (Tuesday, January 19) at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia to perform a cover version of the STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH classic "United Forces". Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH was a crossover thrash band formed in New York in 1985. They are commonly credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes called "crossover thrash." The track "March Of The S.O.D." from "Speak English Or Die" was the "Headbangers Ball" intro song for many years.

After finishing his guitar tracks on the ANTHRAX album "Spreading The Disease", Scott Ian would draw pictures of the face of a character known as "Sargent D." The pictures would be accompanied by slogans such as "I'm not racist; I hate everyone" and "Speak English Or Die," and Ian would write lyrics about this character. He decided to form a hardcore band based on Sargent D, so he recruited ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante, ex-ANTHRAX bassist Dan Lilker, and PSYCHOS bassist Billy Milano on vocals.

The 30th-anniversary edition of STROMTROOPERS OF DEATH's classic debut album, "Speak English Or Die", was made available on November 27, 2015 via Megaforce. The set includes the original album as well as the demo recordings from the pre-STROMTROOPERS OF DEATH project CRAB SOCIETY NORTH.

LAMB OF GOD and ANTHRAX are currently touring the U.S. with support from DEAFHEAVEN and POWER TRIP.

Pioneer thrash rock band MEGADETH will give its fans the ultimate cutting edge experience in Virtual Reality. The band recently headed into a special Virtual Reality set-up with director Blair Underwood where they performed and film five songs from their upcoming album "Dystopia": "Fatal Illusion", "Dystopia", "The Threat Is Real", "Poisonous Shadows" and "Post American World".

Behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot can be seen at RollingStone.com.

As a director, DGA member, Underwood directed the 2009 independent feature "The Bridge To Nowhere", as well as several music videos, short films and commercials. He is currently recurring on ABC's hit series "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." The band's performance will appear within the fallen city of a dystopian world modeled after the world created in MEGADETH's new music video for "The Threat Is Real".

Next Galaxy Corp., a leading developer of innovative content solutions and immersive consumer virtual reality technology, will create a dystopian universe surrounding the band, and allow fans to virtually enter, engage and explore this parallel world.

Released on January 22, fans will be able to purchase the new album, a CEEK Virtual Reality cardbox headset with instructions, and a download code to access and unlock exclusive content, which will also be simultaneously launched with the release of "Dystopia" to begin their VR Experience. This special CD package will be available at all physical and online retailers.

Featuring 11 brand new tracks, "Dystopia" will be released on both CD and LP, as well as digitally through all online partners on January 22 on Universal Music Enterprises / Tradecraft / T-Boy Records.

With musical architect and band visionary Dave Mustaine at the helm, "Dystopia" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and mixed by Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA).

The rest of the MEGADETH lineup is comprised of new member Kiko Loureiro (of ANGRA), David Ellefson on bass, and drummer Chris Adler, who took time away from LAMB OF GOD to record "Dystopia". The result marks a true return to form, adding new blood and injecting a new burst of creative energy into the new album.

Recently, MEGADETH announced the details for the North American leg of their "Dystopia" world tour, which will kick off in Dallas, Texas on February 20. The North American leg will take them across the U.S, visiting 12 states and throughout Canada.

Progressive doom-mongers King Goat are ready to reveal the details of their debut full-length record, Conduit (March 25 release).

Following on from two EPs, Conduit contains five of the thickest slabs of doom metal this side of the new year. Moments of hymnal majesty clash and collide against monumentally-bearded riffs; all topped off with vocalist Trim's earth-shattering vocals. 

Conduit is a potent beast of an LP, mired in layers of mystique and intrigue: from the otherworldly cover art to the lyrical content, telling of stories of unseen spirits, enslaved worlds, and death and rebirth. The band are well now for their multi-sensory live experiences, combining a smoke-filled atmosphere and incense with chest-bursting music.

A band surely to please any fan of heavier, lower, slower music, King Goat have played a packed out New Blood tent at Bloodstock Open Air, Mammothfest, and Doom Over London; as well as shows with supporting Enslaved, Grand Magus, Witchsorrow, Alunah and many others.

Tracklisting:

“Flight Of The Deviants”
“Feral King”
“Conduit”
“Revenants”
“Sanguine Path”

“Conduit”:

Live dates:

February
6 – Manchester – The Pub/Zoo

March
23 – Brighton – Prince Albert (album launch show)
24 – Bournemouth – The Anvil
25 – Weymouth – Finns 
26 – London – TBC
27 – Hastings – The Carlisle

April
1 – Crawley – Football Club



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International grind/hardcore punk collective Venomous Concept (featuring current and former members of Napalm Death, Brutal Truth, Corrupt Moral Altar, and more) are streaming a cover of David Bowie's "Suffragette City":

Venomous Concept are on a headlining tour of Europe and runs through 11 different countries before concluding on January 31st. Support comes from label-mates Corrupt Moral Altar on select dates. A full list of confirmed tour dates can be found below.

 Kick Me Silly; VC3 was released by Season Of Mist worldwide on January 8th. The album is available for order across several CD, ltd. LP and ltd. cassette formats at the Season Of Mist E-Shop at this location.

Kick Me Silly - VC3 tracklisting:

“Rise”
“Bust With You Debt”
“Anthem”
“The Potters Ground”
“Human Waste”
“Leper Dog”
“Farm Boy”
“Head On A Stick”
“Pretend”
“Johnny Cheeseburger”
“Forever War”
“Good Times”
“Pretty On The Inside”
“Holiday In Switzerland”
“Fucked In The Czech Repub”
“Neck Tie”
“Frontal Lobe Disorder”
“Daycare”
“Quazimodo”
“Burning Fatigue”
“Rocket Science”
“Pissing Match” (bonus track)

"Potters Ground":

“Anthem”:

“Rise”:

Paying homage to the legendary Poison Idea among other hardcore/punk stalwarts, Venomous Concept were conceived as a grind/punk collective featuring two of the genre's leading figures: Brutal Truth vocalist Kevin Sharp, and guitarist Shane Embury of the iconic Napalm Death. Rounding out the lineup, the band have enlisted the talents of Danny Herrera of Napalm Death on drums, Dan Lilker (Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault, Anthrax, SOD, and more) on bass, and Corrupt Moral Altar's John Cooke on guitar.

Venomous Concept European Tour 2016:
(*** with Corrupt Moral Altar)

January
19 - Florence, Italy - Cycle Club
20 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
21 - Vienna, Austria - Escape
22 - Ostrava, Czech Republic - Barrak Music Club
23 - Prague, Czech Republic - Modra Vopice
24 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Stengade
25 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Truckstop Alaska
26 - Oslo, Norway - Revolve
27 - Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
28 - Essen, Germany - Turock
29 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg
30 - Brussels, Belgium - Magasin4
31 - Antwerp, Belgium - Het Bos

 

 



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Black Metal newcomers Wormwitch are offering their debut single for exclusive stream and download. Their song “Coffin Birth” will not be featured on their next EP, which has yet to receive a title. The new single offers a background to their transition from hardcore into black metal and touches on their Canadian influence from the infamous climate. Download the track via the SoundCloud player below.

"’Coffin Birth’ is the first song that Wormwitch has written under its name, and is the truest culmination of the band's vision to date. The standalone covers themes of death and rebirth and the constant struggle of man versus nature; wherein nature exercises its timeless power to cast the blight of mankind into the endless void." - Robin Harris (guitar/vocals)

The band has offered this song for free to everyone and will be announcing the release of their EP later this year. 

From the rain-swept city of Vancouver come Wormwitch; the result of strain, both musically and mentally, becoming possessed by black metal instrumentals, rock and roll roots, and depressive lyrics. The black metal three-piece is the brainchild of former members of local hardcore act Dead Hand (2013-2015). Wormwitch is Colby Hink (guitar), Max Vüst (drums), and Robin Harris (bass & vocals). The songs are treated as unearthed bones, first they are arranged and named, then a story is developed based on the fractures and cuts, and finally the song is complete.

(Photo: Ed Abarca)



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Alzenau, Germany-based power metal act, Thornbridge, will release their debut, What Will Prevail, produced by Orden Ogan vocalist Seeb Levermann, on February 19 via Massacre Records. The band has released the album's artwork, created by Juanjo Castellano Rosado, who was worked with other acts like Vomitory and Portrait. The artwork has some parallels to the album's title track, explains bassist Burghi:

 "The song 'What Will Prevail' is about all those, who refused to yield, who held on to their beliefs even when they were tortured and killed. It's about those who will be remembered."

 Burghi also stated that the album doesn't follow any theme, but that it's set in a fantastic medieval setting.

Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Blow Up The Gates Of Hell”
“The Dragon’s Reborn”
“What Will Prevail”
“Coachman’s Curse”
“Symphony Of The Battlefield”
“Eternal Life”
“Neverwinter Nights”
“Under The Ice”
“Tower Of Lies”
“Galley Of Horror”

The band’s aim is to bring back old-school power metal with epic songs full of hymn-like choirs, and polyphonic guitar melodies. The band have been around since 2008 and is back with its latest lineup, together since 2012.

What Will Prevail was recorded and mixed by Sebastian "Seeb" Levermann and mastered by Dennis Koehne. Philip Dennis "Sly" Schunke of Van Canto contributed guest vocals on the song "Eternal Life".

Thornbridge also recently shot the official video clip for the song "The Dragon's Reborn". Keep your eyes on the band's Facebook page for pictures from the video shoot.



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Tambach-Dietharz, Germany-based metal band, Hardholz, will release their new album, Herzinfarkt, next month via Massacre Records. The album's tracklisting has been revealed.

The album features a total of 11 songs, and was recorded by Thomas Thiele at Cold Ground Studio, mixed by Thiele and the band, and mastered by Markus Stock at Klangschmiede Studio E. Tassilo Hörchner created the cover artwork.

Tracklisting:

“Charon”
“Die Prophezeiung”
“Herzinfarkt”
“Praeludium Wielandia”
“Wieland, Der Schmied”
“Bonusdreck”
“Jäger Und Gejagte”
“Hartholz”
“Asphaltlady”
“Tannhäuser”
“Spiel Mir Das Lied Vom Tod”

Hardholz use a wide range of stylistic elements in their songs, thus creating their very own style. The band’s second album, Herzinfarkt, will be released on February 19th.

“Herzinfarkt”:



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Killing Joke are on a mission to take their music of resistance to a whole new level with latest and 16th studio album, Pylon, which was released October 23rd, 2015 via Spinefarm Records. With the original lineup of Jaz Coleman, Geordie, Youth and Big Paul continuing to hold firm, the band has released an official video for "Euphoria".

Pylon was produced in the UK and Prague by the band and Tom Dalgety, whose credits include the hugely successful Royal Blood album, and isn’t designed to accompany a quiet night at home in front of the fire; Pylon is very much music as ritual – raw, uncompromising and precisely-targeted lyrically, with the artwork put together by regular band associate Mike Coles, the designer behind the very first Killing Joke album.

As for the album’s title, says Youth, “It’s simple… Stark brutal industrial suicide… This is the third in a triptych of albums, Absolute Dissent, MMXII and now Pylon… heavy and uncompromising, bleak dystopian lyrics, as well as some visionary celebration… lots of black pain emotion. To be honest, we remain genre blind so our music will always cover a vast spectrum of influences, from disco right through to heavy metal and beyond…”

While other bands of a certain vintage may struggle to hold their edge, Killing Joke are delivering the best and most relevant material of their career, with no mellowing or softening of the edges getting in the way – a line in the sand against mainstream music and corporate existence, with “I Am The Virus” (“an intense, angry, uncompromising shout into the abyss”, according to Youth, and lead track from Pylon) providing a typically bitter taste of the ‘delights’ to come…

“I believe we delivered 15 tracks for the new album,” ponders Youth, who actually raised that number to 16 with a last minute dub remix, “and it could have been a lot more…”

“This record really showcases the power of Killing Joke,” continues Jaz. “I remember we once jammed with German outfit Can, and I don’t remember hearing Can…”

Difficult, perverse and wilfully unpredictable, Killing Joke continue to be a group that actually stands for something; Youth will tell you it’s “honesty, commitment and illumination”, and the others will doubtless have ideas of their own, but one thing’s for certain: what once seemed paranoid now seems downright prophetic, and for all of their adherence to darker hues, the future for Killing Joke seems bright… whether they like it or not.



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According to TMZ, the official death certificate of iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister reveals that his cause of death was prostate cancer along with cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure. You can see the official death certificate at this location (PDF file).

Lemmy, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24), learned two days later that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on December 28, at his home in Los Angeles.

Lemmy's manager, Todd Singerman, told Rolling Stone that when doctors told the singer that he had two to six months to live following the discovery of tumors on his brain and neck, he said, "Oh, only two months, huh?" The doctor responded, "There's nothing anyone can do. I would be lying to you if I told you there was a chance."

Singerman was going to keep it private, but Lemmy told him to make it public, adding that he wanted people to know. The plan was to put out the release after family and friends were contacted, but the end came sooner than anyone thought. "Here's the shocker for me and everyone else," said Singerman. "He's been to a thousand doctors and hospitals throughout the world, but nobody caught this. To be told you have terminal cancer with all the blood tests he's taken in his life and everything else? It's very hard to grasp that. It's not like he had a chance here. This was outright: 'You got no more than six months.'"

Singerman and members of the band's organization had noticed in recent days that Lemmy was having trouble speaking and seemed completely exhausted.

Lemmy had dealt with several health issues over the past few years, including heart trouble, forcing him to cut back on his famous smoking and Jack Daniels habits.

The band was forced to cancel a number of shows last year, although they did manage to complete one final European tour on December 11.

Asked if his illness has made him more aware of his own mortality, Lemmy previously told Classic Rock magazine: "Death is an inevitability, isn't it? You become more aware of that when you get to my age. I don't worry about it. I'm ready for it. When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn't complain. It's been good."

With their raw, uncompromising sound, MOTÖRHEAD never became a major commercial success, but Lemmy and his cohorts remained a popular live attraction for the next several decades while winning a Grammy in 2005 and recording a total of 22 studio albums. The most edition of the band, featuring guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee, spent 22 years together, releasing its now-final album, "Bad Magic", last year.

Following on from a hectic two years of touring and festival appearances, resurrected Corby, U.K. metallers RAGING SPEEDHORN entered the studio with acclaimed producer Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, DIMMU BORGIR, THE WILDHEARTS) on January 18 in Kettering to begin work on their new album. Their first full-length record to feature original vocalist Frank Regan since 2005's "How The Great Have Fallen" and the first with the band's new lineup is due later in the year. Drummer Gordon Morison had this to say on the upcoming record: "It's been a long time coming. We're going to be recording the new record at Parlour studios with the mighty Russ Russell. We can guarantee that fans of classic SPEEDHORN will love the new album!" RAGING SPEEDHORN formed in 1998 and went on to issue four records, the most successful being their second release, "We Will Be Dead Tomorrow", recorded by Billy Graziadei and Danny Schuler of BIOHAZARD fame. The band achieved chart success with "The Gush" in 2001, toured continuously with acts like SLIPKNOT, ILL NINO, RAMMSTEIN and WILL HAVEN, and performed at countless festivals across the globe, including main stage at the inaugural Download festival in 2004. They split in 2008 following the release of their last record, "Before The Sea Was Built", and a subsequent tour of Japan.

Video footage of OHM:, the band featuring former MEGADETH members Chris Poland (guitar) and Nick Menza (drums), performing on January 16 at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California can be seen below.

Menza's addition to OHM: in September 2015 followed the passing of the band's previous drummer, David Eagle, who suffered a heart attack and had open-heart surgery in May of that same year.

Former MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo is no longer involved with Menza and Poland due to other commitments. Playing bass for OHM: is Robby Pagliari, who can be seen in the video below. The group is currently writing material in a significantly heavier vein.

Poland is best known for his work on MEGADETH's first two albums — "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" (1985) and "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" (1986).

Menza joined MEGADETH for the 1989 recording "Rust In Peace" and for the next nine years became associated with the band's "classic" and most profitable era.

In the decade-plus they’ve been a band, the Tucson, AZ-based trio North has ebbed and flowed their way into becoming one of the most respected outfits in the underground metal scene. Despite a series of lineup changes and personal setbacks, North has returned stronger and more focused than ever on their debut full-length release for Prosthetic Records, Light The Way.

One week prior to the album's March 18th worldwide release, the band will play a hometown record release show at Tucson's Club Congress before embarking on a North American jaunt with Intronaut. A full listing of dates can be found listed below. Tickets are available here.

Originally starting off in 2005 as an instrumental act, North has continued to push the boundaries of the heavier side of post-rock. Formed by Evan Leek (bass) and Zack Hansen (drums) and rounded out by guitarists Ty Engle and Matt Mutterperl, the band’s first recordings were done in Hansen’s bedroom and self-released. With their debut 2006 EP Siberia, they soon made a name for themselves in the Arizona scene, supporting others in the genre such as Caspian, Tera Melos and This Will Destroy You on those bands’ southwestern tour stops.

Eventually, the group decided to expand the sound of the band, adding vocals on 2008’s What You Were, which was met with critical acclaim and expanded touring throughout the US. When it came time for the band to begin work on their next record, numerous line-up changes occurred. Writing stopped, started, stopped again and at times the band wondered if it would ever restart again. Amazingly enough, this turmoil produced their best material to date. The Great Silence, released in the summer of 2012, was a compelling fusion of post-rock and metal and garnered their finest reviews yet. The band toured for a year to support the album, but after two members left the group, North once again questioned its future.

The three remaining members, Leek, Hansen and Mutterperl, regrouped and sat down to write for the first time as a three-piece and found the chemistry the best it had ever been. Four tracks came together quickly, which was released as the Metanoia EP, and the guys did what they do best: play live. There seemed to be a genuine rebirth in the band as they embarked their most extensive touring to date. It was shortly after this that the group signed to Prosthetic Records – which reissued Metanoia and Siberia last year – and quickly began working on new material, not wanting to lose the momentum they were feeling. The two-track single, "Through Raven’s Eyes”, recorded in early 2015, saw the band at possibly its darkest and heaviest, musically speaking. Now, with Light The Way, North begins a new chapter – one that kicks off with the highest-profile shows of the band's career.

Stay tuned in the following weeks for further details on Light The Way.

Tour dates:

March
12 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress (Record Release Show)
15 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy
16 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
17 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Underground
18 - ALbuquerque, NM - Launchpad
19 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre
20 - Lawrence, KS - Aftershock
21 - Ft Worth, TX - Tomcats
22 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog
23 - Houston, TX - Walters
24 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
25 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
26 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall
27 - Charlotte, NC - Rabbit Hole
28 - Washington DC - Rock And Roll Hotel
29 - New York, NY - Marlin Room at Webster Hall
30 - Boston, MA - Middle East
31 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz

April
1 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
2 - Detroit, MI - Loving Touch
3 - Chicago, IL - Reggies Rock Club
4 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre
5 - Winnipeg, MB - Goodwill
6 - Regina, SK - Exchange
7 - Edmonton, AB - Skylite
8 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
9 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
11 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile
12 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
13 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill



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Houston, Texas-based progressive metallers, Oceans Of Slumber, have released a video for the track “Suffer The Last Bridge”, off their debut Century Media release, Winter. The clip can be seen below:

The band recently unveiled the cover art for Winter, which was gracefully imagined by Costin Chioreanu over at Twilight 13 Media (At The Gates, Katatonia, Grave, Arcturus).

"The time has come and we're more than excited to release this first glimpse into our new record Winter. We wanted to reveal ourselves a bit more and try to capture the energy of the band in UltraHD. We've put every bit of our heart and souls into this record and can't wait to start this journey with everyone." states the band on the forthcoming album.

Winter will see a synced, worldwide release date of Friday, March 4th. Pre-order the album now at iTunes. Digital pre-orders will come with both "Winter" and "Suffer The Last Bridge" as instant-grats. Physical pre-orders for Winter will begin shortly.

The Century Media newcomers caught the attention of the masses with their previously released Blue EP, which featured re-imaginings of classic tracks from seminal artists such as Candlemass, Led Zeppelin, Emperor and Pink Floyd, as well as two originals that served as teasers of what was to come. This extended play highlights the undeniably epic wall of sound that has become the Texans' trademark.

Lineup:

Cammie Gilbert – Vocals
Anthony Contreras – Guitar
Sean Gary – Guitar
Keegan Kelly – Bass
Uaeb Yelsaeb - Synthesizers
Dobber Beverly – Drums

 



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French melodic power prog band Eternal Flight has released a lyric video for “Angels Of Violence”. The band played the song live in the 2013 European tour alongside Circle II Circle and Nightmare, and is the first of three songs that will be released by the band each 2 months and a half until the summer when they will record their fourth full-length album. The goal is to regain some visibility and attention and a way to thank the fans for their patience and support over the years.

These tracks are special for two reasons: drummer John Macaluso (Ark, Malmsteen, Jennifer Batten, TNT , Riot) recorded them adding his particular touch and energy. A great honor to have him. These songs will not necessarily end up on the fourth album beside their high quality, so they are at the moment really exclusive and represent a new way to make promotion for the band until the release of the album. A proper video for “Angels Of Violence” will be released in the upcoming months.

The lineup that recorded the songs:

Gérard Fois - vocals, keys and production
Jérome Fischer - lead and rhythm guitars
Thibaud Ducrot - lead and rhythm guitars
Arnaud Neri - bass
John Macaluso - drums



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Chicago heavy rock outfit, Soil, have just released a lyric video for the song "Way Gone". "Way Gone" comes from the band’s sixth full length album, Whole, which is the first release to feature original vocalist Ryan McCombs since 2004's Re.de.fine.

The band have been on an extensive 2-year plus touring cycle promoting the album. "In this day and age you have to work an album for a long time in order for it to soak into people's heads”, states bassist Tim King. "Everyone is bombarded with so much content through media these days that we still find out many fans are still just discovering the Whole album for the first time.”

According to vocalist Ryan McCombs, "The song "Way Gone" was one of those tunes that came together after the twelfth hour. From the first time that I heard the song in the writing process, I was a fan of the track but I couldn't nail the lyrics in a way that I felt did the instrument noise justice. I wrote and rewrote the words numerous times but it wasn't until the music had been tracked for the Whole CD, and I had even tried tracking a couple variations of lyrical ideas that I had for it that it all finally fell out of my shoulder melon and made sense to me. One of my favourite tracks on the CD and I think Kevin Desjardin (motion graphics artist) did a hell of a job on the lyric video. One of the best I've seen in my opinion.."

Soil will embark on a mini tour in February with support from Flaw and Beyond Threshold. Dates are as follows:

February
18 - South Bend, IN - Cheers          
19 - Chesterfield, MI - Diesel Concert Lounge
20 - Dayton, OH - Oddbody's             
25 - Pekin, IL - Twisted Spoke Saloon (no Flaw)
26 - Lombard, IL - Brauer House   
27 - Janesville, WI - Back Bar 



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World Management and Symphony X announced the complete lineup for the Underworld Europe Tour 2016 two months ago. Support will be coming from Tunisia’s prog rockers Myrath and from France, Melted Space. This touring package will kick off in Wolverhampton's Robin 2 on February 12th and come to an end on March 20th in Tilburg's 013 (see dates below).

Symphony X states: “Together we are excited to offer what we feel will be a great night of live music for the fans and hope to see all of you at these shows.“

In support of this upcoming European tour, the band have launched a new track video for a song off their current record entitled Underworld. Watch “In My Darkest Hour” below:

European dates include:

February
12 - Wolverhampton, England - Robin 2
13 - Manchester, England - Club Academy
15 - Sheffield, England - Corporation
16 - Glasgow, Scotland - Garage
18 - Bristol, England - Bierkeller
19 - London, England - Islington Assembly Hall
20 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
21 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Boerderij
23 - Paris, France - Bataclan
25 - Barcelona, Spain - Apolo
26 - Bilbao, Spain - Stage Live
27 - Madrid, Spain - Arena
28 - Lisbon, Portugal - Paradise Garage

March
1 - Bordeaux, France - Barbey
3 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
4 - Lyon, France - CCO Villeurbanne
5 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
6 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
8 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos Saal
10 - Munich, Germany - Feierwerk/Hansa
11 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Masters Of Rock Café
12 - Erfurt, Germany - HSD
13 - Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu
15 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
17 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust
18 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
19 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
20 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013



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Romania's "Transilvania Culturala" recently conducted an interview with former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the beginnings of her musical journey:

Tarja: "Since I was a little child, I always wanted to do music. That was my passion. I was kind of, I would say, even obsessed with music. I wanted to start learning piano when I was six years old, and after that, my parents were very supportive and they took me to several kinds of music lessons. So music filled all my childhood. Actually, also the teenage years and growing up as a woman, so I've been studying ever since I was six — classical music."

On the transition from classical music to rock and vice versa:

Tarja: "For me, it was a huge challenge — still it is a huge challenge to sing rock, because I never thought of becoming one of the most followed female singers in rock genre; I never, never, never thought about that. But I took the challenge, because I love the music, and it's all about that. For me, there are no borders in music in general. When I'm doing something, I do it with my heart. And so if I feel good about something, I'm going for it; one hundred percent I'm on it. And so that's been my passion in that sense, in music — to feel free. But the transition took time. It took years to really feel comfortable with the voice during the rock performances and running on the stage. I wanted to do my best. I really worked very hard, but I had no teacher to teach me to sing rock. I kept on taking lyrical singing lessons, and that's what really made me stronger also in rock singing."

On how she finds new challenges in music and whether it's important to be always a step ahead:

Tarja: "Yeah, in that sense, for me, because I'm an artist now, I am having a career, and it's a very versatile career; I'm having a lot of diferent kinds of projects going on at the same time. So I'm kind of a workaholic [laughs], if you can call me a workaholic in that sense, because I'm always doing something. I cannot be just doing nothing. I love working, I love music, I love the freedom that I have today as an artist. So, in that sense, you can say that, yeah, okay, I want to be a step ahead. [Laughs]"

On what inspires her when she creates music:

Tarja: "Oh, many things. In general, my life inspires me — the journeys I take with music or with my family or what I see around. You know, things that are surprising me, or things that are bothering me. Positive and negative things of life in general. Books of Paulo Coelho; I'm still reading his books. Music-wise, I listen to a lot of variety kind of music. I listen to soundtracks and I listen to rock and even metal. I listen to pop in general. I love bands like MUSE and stuff like that. I always keep my mind very open when it comes to music."

Turunen was fired from NIGHTWISH at the end of the band's 2005 tour by being presented with an open letter which was published on the NIGHTWISH web site at the same time. In the letter, the other members of NIGHTWISH wrote: "To you, unfortunately, business, money, and things that have nothing to do with emotions have become much more important."

Dutch singer Floor Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH in October 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon.

Turunen followed her most recent rock album, "Colours In The Dark", with the exclusive tour CD "Left In The Dark", which was previously only available bundled with a ticket for the "Colours In The Road Tour 2014". "Left In The Dark" was released in July 2014 via earMUSIC.

"Colours In The Dark" charted in 12 countries, with four Top 10 entries, and was praised by the media and, more importantly, by the fans.

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor says that he "doesn't have time" for the Grammy Awards, explaining that the annual show is nothing but "a popularity contest" among aging music industry insiders, many of whom have had a long history of ignoring hard rock and heavy metal.

Although SLIPKNOT has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, it has won only one — picking up the "Best Metal Performance" gong in 2006 with the single "Before I Forget". The group is once again nominated this year, this time for its track "Custer", which is taken from the album ".5: The Gray Chapter", SLIPKNOT's first full-length release in six years.

Asked by Finland's Radio Rock how much winning a Grammy means to him, Taylor said: "Shit. I'm totally honest. I know a lot of people who, they put a lot of stock in it, but I keep telling 'em... I mean, we've been nominated now, like… God knows how many times. It's been over ten times. We won once… Cool. It's a popularity contest; that's all it is. If it weren't, if it were just about the music, you would see more metal bands — not including us — nominated in other categories, like 'Album Of The Year' [and] all of these different categories, and you just don't. So it's all a goddamn popularity contest, and I don't have fucking time for that shit, to be honest."

He continued: "It's, like, everybody, they live and breathe by whether or not they're gonna get this tiny statue, and it's, like, why? So it can sit on a goddamned shelf and collect dust. To me, the real reflection of where you're at is [performing live], and that's all it is. Walking on that stage and seeing a massive audience lose their minds — that's what it's all about. You can take those statuettes all day long; I don't care. It's cool to win, but I'm not gonna fucking die if we don't win a Grammy, you know."

During a 2014 appearance on the Nerdist podcast, Taylor took issue with the with the Grammys and their voting process, saying: "Old people vote [on those awards]. I'm convinced that's the reason we won, is because an old person went, 'SLIPKNOT! I read a magazine article about them. They've been around. Here you go. Take it. The kids are gonna be real happy.' 'Cause you look at it, and you're, like, fuckin' JUDAS PRIEST won one for a live version of a song they released 40 years ago, and the live version was released 20 years before that. And they only re-released it because of a box set. And they gave it to them? I'm, like, 'Fucking what?'"

He went on to say: "It doesn't mean anything. I mean, that's like trying to hit a fucking needle with another needle. You have one metal category, you have one basic rock category, and you've got bands like FUN winning it. And I'm, like, 'Really? Show me on the doll where FUN is a rock band.'"

To date, Taylor's other band, STONE SOUR, has received three Grammy Award nominations for "Best Metal Performance" for the singles "Get Inside", "Inhale" and "30/30-150".

With HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale and guitarist Joe Hottinger as guides, Sweden's RockSverige.se recently got a tour of Nashville, Tennessee. They visited Southern Ground, Studio B, Carter Vintage Guitars, Third Man Records and Grimey's. Lzzy and Joe also answered some fan-submitted questions.

Speaking about HALESTORM's plans for the immediate future, Joe said: "We're starting to formulate in our brains right now what we're gonna do for the next record and starting to get ours heads in that space. And it's gonna be a fun one." Lzzy added: "We've been writing a lot lately and just trying to figure out what we're gonna do next, record-wise."

Lzzy said in an interview that the band didn't set out to make a lighter album with its latest effort, "Into The Wild Life" — even though it worked out that way. Hale explained to May The Rock Be With You: "When we were talking about making songs heavier, it didn't necessarily mean stacks of Mesa Boogies and a lot of crunch and layers and walls of guitars." Hale added that the band followed only two rules while recording: "We're not going to record the record in the same way that we did the last two, and is it good or not?"

"Into The Wild Life" debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week of release — more than double the first week haul of the band's previous effort, 2012's Grammy-winning "The Strange Case Of…"

According to Michael Fischer of KNAC.com, Michael Landauer (a.k.a. Mick Zane), one of the founding members of '80s metal masters MALICE, is currently undergoing cancer treatments at UCLA Medical Center under the care of the best doctors in the world. He is battling what he has been told was an inoperable brain tumor and is receiving the same new miracle drug that just helped former president Jimmy Carter cure his brain cancer.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Mick and his family take some of the edge off worrying about the constant incoming bills and everyday family expenses.

Since relocating with his friends and bandmates from Portland, Oregon to Hollywood, California in the early '80s to take MALICE to the next level, Mick has been a rock solid part of the Sunset Strip metal scene.

MALICE's latest album, "New Breed Of Godz", was released in May 2012 through SPV/Steamhammer.

The band's two Atlantic releases — "In the Beginning" (1985) and "License to Kill" (1986) — are available Stateside on WEA label Wounded Bird and have continued to sell over the years.

Edward Christie and Steve Beatty, owners of the long-running U.K. record label Candlelight, have sold the company's assets to Spinefarm Records, the hard rock label owned by the Universal Music Group.

In an e-mail sent to all Candlelight artists and obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Christie and Beatty explained that they "made an informed choice to leave the label in the hands of a well-respected metal label backed by the world's biggest record company.

"[Spinefarm] have shown an understanding and respect for what we do and are looking forward to working with Candlelight's artists," they said. "We also feel that they will treat the catalogue with respect."

They added: "Dante Bonutto, who heads up [Spinefarm's] European team, is a well-known figure in the U.K. metal scene both as a journalist and A&R person, and Jonas Nachsin, who formerly ran the U.S. division of Roadrunner and now looks after Spinefarm's worldwide operation, are both very excited and committed to continuing the development of the Candlelight label and its artists, for whom they have great respect."

As to how the bands' individual recording agreements will be affected by the sale, Christie and Beatty said: "Contractually, nothing will change. All future album options and commitments as well as accounting will continue as agreed in [the artists'] contracts. [For] all those [who] have signed licensing agreements, the terms of the licenses will remain in place and will terminate on the due date."

Christie and Beatty stated about time with Candlelight and their decision to leave the company behind: "It's been a great ride and we are immensely proud of what we have achieved in those years. We have enjoyed working with [all the artists] and it has been great to have made some genuine friendships along the way. We have released some amazing music, some of which can genuinely be termed as classics of their genres, a major achievement. We have also released some records that were received so badly that frankly people thought we were insane, but we liked them and we thought they should be heard."

In 2001, Candlelight established U.S. operations, with former Nuclear Blast America president Paula Hogan heading up its Philadelphia-based U.S. structure.

Candlelight is distributed in North America by Caroline. European distribution is exclusive via Plastichead.

Candlelight's current artist roster includes such acts as IHSAHN, VISION OF DISORDER and ABIGAIL WILLIAMS.

The North American leg of BLACK SABBATH's final tour, which is being billed as "The End", will start on January 20 in Omaha, Nebraska, ending on February 27 in New York City. Dates in Australia and New Zealand have been confirmed for April, with European festival shows taking place during the summer.

During a recent conference call with reporters, BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler promised "The End" will be the end for SABBATH, which formed in 1968 in Birmingham, England.

"We just all decided that we wanted to do one last tour," Butler said. "We're all getting up there in our age, and while we're still at the top of our profession both musically and aesthetically, then we wanted to go out on top and we feel like this is the right time to do it." Singer Ozzy Osbourne added: "We're not gonna get back together in three years when we all run out of cash or whatever. I have no intention of that. This is really the end."

Osbourne confirmed that he will make a new solo album after SABBATH is done touring. As for his plans to keep playing shows, he said: "I don't know what the touring situation's going to be. I don't want to do extensive touring, just 'cause I can't do it anymore, a year out on the road. I'm done. I'll do gigs. I'll do watered-down tours and things. But I'm going to be still actively involved in music to a certain degree, I hope."

BLACK SABBATH recently revealed that it will sell a new limited-edition CD titled "The End" at the shows on its farewell tour. The disc will feature four previously unheard studio tracks left off the band's 2013 reunion album, "13", as well as live versions of four songs from the world tour the band did in support of that disc.

The four studio cuts are "Season Of The Dead", "Cry All Night", "Take Me Home" and "Isolated Man". They feature drums by Brad Wilk.

The live tracks, with drumming from Tommy Clufetos, are "God Is Dead?", "Under The Sun", "End Of The Beginning" and "Age Of Reason". The live cuts were recorded in Sydney, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand and Hamilton, Ontario.

Wilk and Clufetos had to get involved after founding SABBATH drummer Bill Ward withdrew from the reunion after initially agreeing to participate in it.

"13", the first SABBATH full-length studio album in 35 years to feature original members Butler, Tony Iommi and Osbourne, also became SABBATH's first No. 1 album in the U.S. when it was released in June 2013. The band abandoned plans for a follow-up after deciding that the upcoming trek would be its last.

According to Billboard.com, FILTER will release its seventh studio album, "Crazy Eyes", on April 8 via Wind-Up Records. The follow-up to 2013's "The Sun Comes Out Tonight" was produced by FILTER mainman Richard Patrick. The CD's first single, "Take Me To Heaven", can be streamed below.

"'Take Me To Heaven' was written after my dad just died, and where I'm coming from is I'm trying to find if there's an afterlife and I'm trying to believe in it," Patrick told Billboard.com. "It's very hopeful. There's no more authentic and real that I could have gotten as a singer and lyricist."

Regarding the overall musical direction of "Crazy Eyes", Patrick told Billboard.com: "This record is more experimental and crazy. It's where I am today. I wanted to go to some scary, weird places instead of doing that big-ass guitar sound again."

He continued: "On the last record, there was another guy at the label who signed us, and I felt a responsibility to him. He wanted a big rock sound so I let the guitars be the main focus. With this record I said, 'Let me focus on being the kind of artist I was when I was at Warner Bros.,' and Wind-Up was way into that. It's way more of what we used to be and so much of where we are.”

Joining Patrick during the recording sessions for "Crazy Eyes" were guitarist Oumi Kapila, bassist Ashley Dzerigian, drummer Chris Reeve and keyboardist Bobby Miller. Patrick told Uproxx: "Chris Reeve is probably the best drummer I've ever seen. He’s just a tremendous talent. Our new bass player, Ashley Dzerigian, worked with CeeLo and Adam Lambert, and she's amazing. She plays like John Entwistle. We have a keyboardist, Bobby Miller — DJ Rotten Bobby. We call him a DJ because we know what era we live in. And Oumi Kapila, another Aussie, is a virtuoso on guitar. These kids are great. We've been playing a few dates here and there, and the energy they bring to the shows really forces me to be that much better."

Among the tracks set to appear on "Crazy Eyes" is "Nothing In My Hands", which was written around Ferguson and the Michael Brown shooting, but it could be applied to any of the many race-related tragedies involving police brutality that have swept the country in recent years.

"This shit is happening all the time… All these black kids getting killed, and for what?" Patrick said. "It's not just something to sing about because it's dark: not one fucking rock band is reflecting this stuff. I want to write songs about social matters. I have to say something about what's going on in this corrupt world we live in."